Early morning air brushed against my skin. I breathed in a silent prayer for the day. Glancing around I noticed the other guard members chatting away lightly. I averted my eyes to front. Waiting.
From a distance the sound of an approaching train was heard. My body started tensing as the sound got louder and louder.
"HERE SHE COMES BABY! HERE SHE COMES!" Krebs laughed.
I clenched down on my jaw as an overbearing loud train reached eyesight. Screams and yells were heard from inside the oncoming train. The train finally pulled up to the platform. I stared at the wagons stuffed with people inside. The small windows at the top of the wagons contained barbed wire, preventing anyone from escaping. The small wagons started shaking as people began to shove and push each other inside.
"OPEN!" Krebs demanded.
The other guards quickly unlocked the doors to the wagons. Within a few short seconds hundreds of people started pushing and shoving each other out onto the platform. The door to the wagons was incredibly small, but I was astonished by how many people were pushed through the door. A strong filthy odor filled the air, it was ghostly and tantalizing. I knew the smell. It quickly filled my body with fear and sent shivers down my arms. Death.
Faces and more faces crowded the platform. Everything was noisy and you couldn't hear a thing. I caught sight of woman in her late 20's who clung onto her 2 small children. Another woman was searching desperately for someone. I presumed maybe a family member. Then a man with blue eyes passed me. His arm was locked around his wife's shoulders. I quickly grabbed onto the man's arm. The man turned and looked at me. Fear was in his eyes.
"Shoes…. Tell them you make shoes." I told the man fiercely. "And you sew." I directed towards the woman. With that I released the man's arm.
Krebs stood on top of a couple of stacked up boxes.
"May I have your attention please!" Krebs shouted out loud to the confused crowd.
The chattering and loud noise came to a silence. The train let out a low snort before Krebs continued.
"Now in order to make things run smoothly we ask that you please leave all your belongings and possessions right where they are. We will deliver them to you promptly after you get settled in. Now there is the matter of registering. We will need to divide you up. Men to the right, and Women and children to the left."
"Where the fuck are we?" A man shouted.
"What are we doing here?" another shouted.
Krebs smiled a deceitful warm smile.
"All will be revealed in time. And I promise you all your questions will be answered."
I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw.
"Now I'm asking one last time. PLEASE MOVE!" Krebs ordered.
No one moved. I held in my breath for what I knew was to come.
"Fine. I asked politely." Krebs smiled and made a small nod the guards.
The guards started forcefully pulling the women and men apart. Everyone was yelling and screaming as babies and children were being pulled from their families. Pushing and shoving started driving the crowd to become chaotic. I started shoving the men to the right. A small boy of about 14 stood still with confusion between the chaos. His big green eyes looked at me with fear and confusion. I made my way over to the kid.
"Go to the that side." I pointed to where the men were.
"What's going to happen to us?" the boy asked in a heavy accent.
I felt a small tug at my heart.
"Tell them you can cook." I answered to the boy.
"What?" he asked.
"When they ask if you can do something. Tell them you cook." I spoke and then grabbed onto the boys shoulders and shoved him into the men's line.
"Why are you doing this?" the boy shouted.
"I'm saving your life." I muttered to the kid and walked off.
"MOVE!" I shouted.
Soon I hear gunfire open up towards the right. A man quickly fell to the ground, blood spilling onto the pavement. Silence took over and everyone stopped what they were doing. The dead man laid motionless on the pavement. As I got a clearer look, I noticed it was the man with blue eyes that I had spoke to earlier. I quickly looked over at the women's side. His wife had tears falling down her face. She looked up at me. I could see what she was about to do. But I shook my head telling her to stay put. I tried pleading with her, but I knew in the end it was her decision.
"MOVE!" Krebs ordered.
People began to move quickly into their spots. A good 30 minutes later everyone was separated. They began to file into lines for registration. Everyone began shoving and shouting out loud. Fear was written on every face I saw. After about a few hours everyone was registered. They began to file into lines to walk into the gates. The guards opened up the gate doors. Above the gate was the sign 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. The men and women slowly walked through the gates. I knew once they were all inside they would be separated once again, only this time it would be to survive. The large crowd slowly started disappearing from the station. The guards began to climb aboard the wagons to collect any further belongings. I walked into the wagon ahead of me and climbed into the train. A toxic vicious odor enveloped my nose, cringing my eyes with tears. Several bodies were lying on the floor. I quickly pulled a napkin from my back pocket and held it to my nose. Urine and feces lined the train. Vomit was literally all over the floor. I began gathering the luggage from the train and throwing them onto the platform. Krebs climbed into my wagon and looked around.
"Count?" he asked.
"Ten." I responded.
"Ha! Fuck me. That's low compared to Tanner's cart." Krebs laughed.
I nodded and finished throwing the last bag out. Immediately Krebs and I hopped off the train.
"They bloody smell like shit don't they?" Krebs threw an arm around me.
"Guess so." I muttered taking in fresh of air.
Suddenly a group of girls came out from the gates. They quickly rushed over to all the belongings that people left behind. They began sorting through the large pile of stuff.
"Only two more shipments for the day." Krebs smiled walking off.
Another group of guards emerged from the gate. They immediately clambered onto the wagons and started carrying the bodies from inside. I sighed and held onto my rifle. After the men loaded all the bodies onto a cart, they went back into the gates.
The train slowly started pulling out. A wave of grief flooded through me. I knew that once this train left, another would come. A never ending tale of death.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A few hours later….
The loud roaring came back again. My eyes wearily flickered to the approaching train. More… I need to save more… This time I will warn more. I have to…
The train slowly crept onto the station. The other guards took their place by the doors to the wagons. Krebs nodded his head and the doors were unlocked. Crowds and crowds of people erupted from their wagons. I began shoving the men to the right and women to the left. Screams and shouting filled the air. I searched through the crowd looking…
Then I spotted a young child, who looked about 10 . I quickly grabbed her shoulder and knelt down to her. Her big green eyes were filled with fear.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Abigail." She responded.
"Where's your family?" I asked looking around at the crowd.
"I-I lost them in the crowd." She cried.
I lowered my head and let out a soft sigh. With weary eyes, I glanced up at the girl. "I want you to listen to me very carefully okay." I nodded to the girl. "When the other older people ask you how old you are, say you are 14."
The girl looked at me with confusion. "I also want you to pinch your cheeks…. Do that and you will be safe." I whispered to the girl.
Suddenly the girl was pulled from my grasp through the crowd. I quickly stood up and tried to look for the young girl… but no longer could I see her. I quickly rubbed a hand to my face. All around me people were shoving, and brushing past me. Everything seemed to be spinning out of control. I pulled my hands away from my face. My eyes widened as my eyes came face to face with a pair of hazel eyes. Surprise filled my body along with shock. I could feel my jaw drop slightly as I stared at her. Her eyes glared at me with anger and confusion. I could feel the corners of my mouth tug downward as she was grabbed by a guard and pulled into another direction. Panic began to course through me. I quickly started shoving people out of my way but I couldn't see her or the guard.
A few feet down I saw a boy who looked like he was in his late teenage years struggling with another guard. His brown hair swayed back and forth as the guards were shoving and beating him to the men's side. I glanced from the boy to opposite direction of where the guard had taken the girl. Save the girl…. Or save the boy. I furiously scratched at my head as I made my decision. Dear God….. I'm so sorry.
I looked away from the boy and quickly rushed through the crowd to find the girl.
Sorry it's been a while…. I do apologize!